If there’s one thing about carpenter bees that doesn’t seem like it’ll change anytime soon, it’s that it is nearly impossible to preventably treat your home to keep them away.
Unless your siding is bare wood, there is very little that will stick or penetrate and even if it did, it doesn’t seem to bother these beasts as they just drill right through your thin barrier. Too many times this leaves the homeowner with very few options; call in an exterminator who can only kill the existing wood bees or, take aim on their own with a shot of wasp freeze and a tennis racket, not a good option.
Well now at least there is something proactive you can do. I found an ingenious carpenter bee trap that seems to have promise. It’s simple enough that almost anyone can build but has been thought out out pretty thoroughly so it will attract many of the big bees flying around your home and trap them using no chemicals at all.
The Most Important Keys To The Carpenter Bee Trap
While the video is very informative, it’s not the most entertaining 7 minutes. If you don’t watch it all you might miss these important features and the trap you build may not work.
#1- The roof of the trap needs to be bigger than the box. Carpenter bees ‘prefer’ to drill their holes vertically while upside down. This isn’t an absolute trait but at least more than a general behavior. The extended roof offers this option.
#2- The holes you drill need to be no less than 1/2 inch in diameter and drilled in an upward angle. The carpenter bee is a drilling machine but quite often takes the easy route and will make their brood chamber in a previous hole. This is especially true of those looking to overwinter. One hole in each side of your trap will attract the large bee at least for a look. The 1/2 inch hole is about the size this bees makes, any smaller and they might not fit.
#3- The holes angle is especially key because the angle will prevent direct light inside the box, once the bee enters the only light it’ll see is at the bottom of the trap where it will be trapped.
What I like is that this trap is not complicated, is reusable, does not need any special wood and can catch multiple carpenter bees. Once the jug is full you simply unscrew the cap and empty it out.
So grab your whittling knife and kick back and see how it’s done. They can be homemade with ease Or if you’d rather, just order one online from the gentleman who made it. He seems like a nice country gent & I think he’d be happy you did. His name is Cecil and his e-mail by permission is crp1947@live.com
Tell him The Bug Doctor sent you 😉
